


A Fighter and A Lover

by jadehqknb



Series: Ship Fics [31]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Awkward Confession, Friends to Lovers, M/M, MMA Fighter AU, MMA Fighter Tanaka, Manager Ennoshita, Opponent Sawamura, Trainer Iwaizumi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24227341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadehqknb/pseuds/jadehqknb
Summary: Tanaka realized three things in succession.One: He’d just stripped down in front of a guy he’d known all his life who shouldn’t have been affected by his nudity.Two: That guy was definitely affected.Three: That last fact weighed heavily in his favor at being honest about his feelings towards that guy.
Relationships: Ennoshita Chikara/Tanaka Ryuunosuke
Series: Ship Fics [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1137458
Comments: 14
Kudos: 110





	A Fighter and A Lover

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Bee for [prompt #25](https://sentence-fragments.tumblr.com/post/128655641230/101-fluffy-prompts): **“I’d like it if you stayed”**  
> 

The smell of sweat and blood was still fresh in his nose as Tanaka more fell that sat onto the bench, the skin of his bare back slapping against the cool of the locker. He winced when he landed against a still forming bruise, or maybe it was a new one. Closing his non-swollen eye, he tilted his head back—gently this time—and took in a deep breath, pain tracing through his body thanks to the body blows he took. His split lip stung, his eye was throbbing and his shins felt like he’d kicked against a fucking tree for the past fifteen minutes. Or five cumulatively. His opponent was built like a fucking brick house but he sure didn’t move like one. 

And all for nothing. 

Despite his best efforts—which stung more than the cuts and bruises littering his body—Tanaka “The Tank” Ryuunosuke, had lost against senior fighter, Sawamura “The Samurai” Daichi. 

He went over every strike, every kick, trying to figure out where he’d gone wrong. At least, he reviewed those he could remember. Taking repeated blows to the head did not improve his already diluted mental faculties. A hand on his shoulder made him start, his good eye flying open and his puffy one pulsing with pain when it, too, had tried to.

“Sorry, Ryuu! I thought maybe you’d passed out. You didn’t hear me knocking?” 

Tanaka blinked up into the face of his best friend turned manager, Ennoshita Chikara. As usual, his expression was a mix of concern and exasperation. “I knew I should have insisted on the doctor coming in again. What can a man tell in thirty seconds about a concussion?” 

Tanaka tried for a laugh and managed a wheezing grunt. “Aww, don’t be cruel about Sugawara-san. He’s the best in the biz, you know that!” 

“You only say that because he’s pretty,” Ennoshita replied with a roll of his eyes. 

Tanaka protested, “No! I mean, yeah, it’s nice having his face in mine instead of some old geezer, but he’s _good_. If he didn’t think I could go on, he would have called it.”

Sighing, Ennoshita ran his free hand down his face. “Yeah, I know, I just worry.”

“You gotta stop that, it’s bad for your health.”

“And getting the shit kicked out of you for a living isn’t?”

Tanaka winced again but it had nothing to do with his injuries. If even Ennoshita thought he couldn’t do this—

“Ryuu, I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.” Ennoshita took one of Tanaka's hands and gave it a squeeze, meeting Tanaka’s eyes. “I know this is your dream and everything and I thought I could handle it but…” he trailed off taking a deep breath. “I know you’re the one taking the hits but it hurts _so much_ to watch you take them.” 

Unsure what to say, Tanaka sat dumbfounded, staring at his manger… no… his _friend_ , who, as it turned out he felt a lot deeper for than any other friend he had, and wow, why had it taken him so long to realize that? He was just about to say as much when the door opened again and his trainer, Iwaizumi Hajime, walked in. “What the hell are you doin’ sitting around? You need to get stitched up and in the ice bath, you idiot!”

“My fault, Iwaizumi-san,” Ennoshita replied, standing up from his knelt position. He looked down at Tanaka once more. “I’ll get out of your way.”

But before he could exit, Tanaka grabbed his hand. “No! Uh, I mean,” he paused, eyes darting to where Iwaizumi had thankfully entered the bathroom, his voice echoing in the tiled room asking for ice via his radio, before going on, “I’d like it if you stayed.”

Ennoshita blinked down at him, the silence between them growing increasingly uncomfortable the longer it went on. Bending to the impatience to break it, Tanaka said, “I mean, only if you want to. If it’s weird or anything, I understand, I just—”

“I’ll stay,” Ennoshita assured. 

“Now that’s out of the way, get your ass over here, Tanaka,” Iwaizumi said, still sounding irritated but Tanaka thought he caught the hint of a smile twitching up his lip. 

Tanaka stood up, grunting against the pain and was surprised when Ennoshita wrapped the arm of the hand he still held around his own shoulders, then his own arm around Tanaka’s waist to help stabilize him. “Shit, are you _sure_ you don’t want to get a scan or something?” he asked as they shuffled awkwardly towards the bathroom. 

“I’ll be fine, just gotta get soaking and some painkillers,” Tanaka assured him. 

When they reached the tub, he stepped away from Ennoshita, missing the press of his body against his own. Without thought, he tugged at his tight shorts, shucking them, his cup and jockstrap to the floor. Gingerly, he stepped into the freezing water, wincing against it but knowing it would feel worse later if he didn’t do this now. Settled, he looked up at Ennoshita, mouth opening to ask if he wanted a stool or something and found him with a blush on his cheeks. 

Tanaka realized three things in succession. 

One: He’d just stripped down in front of a guy he’d known all his life who shouldn’t have been affected by his nudity.

Two: That guy was _definitely_ affected. 

Three: That last fact weighed heavily in his favor at being honest about his feelings towards that guy. 

“Chikara,” he began, feeling a blush of his own beginning to creep across his cheeks despite sitting in freezing cold water, “I was wondering… would you—”

“Tanaka Ryuunosuke, if you ask me out or whatever while sitting buck naked and bleeding in a tub, I will kick your ass myself,” Ennoshita said, spinning on his heel and exiting the bathroom. Over his shoulder, he called, “Ask me when you’re decent!” 

“I’ve never been decent a day in my life!” Tanaka called back but he was smiling. 

As quickly as he could get cleaned, dry, stitched up, and dressed, he would drive to Chikara’s and ask him out. 

Decently. 


End file.
